Men Cited For Multiple Lobster Violations Ahead Of Lobster Mini-Season
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A father and son from South Carolina were issued multiple citations by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, for illegally taking lobster prior to the start of lobster mini-season.
On Friday, Marine Deputy Wilfredo Guerra was patrolling using a personal watercraft near Toms Harbor Channel Bridge when he saw two males with spears, who appeared to be spearing lobsters.
The men were identified as Peter Verdi, 52, and son Isaac Verdi, 18, according to the sheriff's office.
Eight undersized lobsters were discovered upon inspection of their dive bags and four more speared and undersized mangrove snapper were found inside their cooler, according to authorities.
The men, who had no fishing license, no lobster endorsements, and no dive flag, were issued a total of 10 citations, authorities said.
The 2018 lobster mini-season starts Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. Regular seasons does not begin until Aug. 6.